MRPC
News
March 24, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Bonnie Prigge, Tammy Snodgrass or Bobbi Cabaret
(573) 265-2993
ELECTRONICS WASTE COLLECTION SET FOR APRIL 2 IN WAYNESVILLE
Open to residents in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and
Washington
ST. JAMES-Unwanted electronics don't have to sit in the basement or end up
in a landfill anymore. A special E-waste recycling collection is scheduled from
9 a.m. to 1 .m. on Saturday, April 2 at the Waynesville City Park on Olive Street
in Waynesville.
The event is being organized by the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District
(ORSWMD) and Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and is open to all
residents of Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington
counties. ORSWMD and MRPC have organized previous community collections of household
hazardous waste and used paint.
Most unwanted electronic items will be accepted free of charge on April 2, including
computer CPUs, keyboards, mice, network hubs, cables, printers, telephones,
cellular phones, fax machines, small radios and video cameras.
A fee of $5 will be charged for every computer monitor and television collected.
Event planners are working with a contracted vendor to ensure that all collected
items will be recycled properly and completely. Each participant will receive
information about computer recycling and other options available for used computer
equipment.
The unwanted electronics collected will be remanufactured and recycled by the
Computer Recycling Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit located in Springfield, MO.
The question of what to do with used electronic equipment is an urgent one.
Electronics are a fast growing portion of America's trash-with 250 million computers
destined to become obsolete by 2005. These items can present an environmental
hazard if they are disposed of improperly. With an average of four pounds of
lead in many older TV picture tubes or computer monitors, along with other potentially
hazardous materials, electronics require special handling at the end of their
lives.
Additionally, discarded electronic equipment is a concern because electronics
are made with valuable resources such as precious metals, engineered plastics,
glass and other materials, all of which require energy to manufacture. When
equipment is thrown away, these resources cannot be recovered and additional
pollution will be generated to manufacture new products out of virgin materials.
Schools and businesses throughout the seven counties are also welcome to participate
in the electronic waste collection but are asked to contact Meramec Regional
Planning Commission at (573) 265-2993 if bringing more than five items so adequate
arrangements can be made to handle larger volumes of electronics.
Persons needing more information on the collection can contact Bobbi Cabaret,
environmental programs specialist with MRPC by calling (573) 265-2993 or by
e-mail to bcabaret@meramecregion.org.
